Joseph I. Lieberman, who died this week aged 82, was a giant of a man who I got to know as a college student when he taught me as a at Yeshiva University.
The Senator (I don’t think we ever called him professor) cared deeply about his students and his community. He taught for more than just the paycheck or for the credentialing, which he certainly didn’t need, given his illustrious background. He took to the halls of YU with the active intention of growing and developing a generation of young, Jewish, leadership that would model the things he stood for: decency, excellence, intelligence, respectfulness, and collegiality.
But the Senator did not just talk about his student’s futures and ambitions, he aided us in achieving them. In one example, a friend destined for law school asked him for an internship at his . He gave him one. With the benefit of hindsight (having now gone through law school and the legal recruiting process myself) I realize how substantial a benefit it was for this student to have a top ranked, international law firm on his resume. These were not pre-existing internships, but Lieberman went out of his way to grace his students with them anyway.
Personally, the Senator wrote me a letter of recommendation, that helped me secure a highly coveted internship:
Here is the letter that the Senator graciously took the time to write and sign for me. Many of my successes are likely only available to me due to the internship he helped me secure, which served as a springboard to other opportunities.
— Elliot Fuchs (@Elliot_Fuchs)
Win McNamee/Getty Images
This internship served as a launching pad to many of the opportunities I have been blessed with in my career—and I only got it because Lieberman took the time to write a sparkling recommendation on my behalf. But my story is not unique. He offered career advice, resources, and recommendations to countless students—just because they asked. He was kind, gracious, giving, and thoughtful in everything he did and in every conversation he had.
Whereas most professors I’ve had in my 20-plus years of education quickly jumped to answer student questions in an effort to show off their intellectual prowess, the Senator took the time to think and give students deliberate and considered answers. Nothing was done haphazardly. He had nothing to prove. This thoughtfulness showed further, after I secured the above-referenced internship – when he not only took the time to congratulate me on my success but expressed joy and pride.
The Senator had a hope, that few still have, that political discourse in this country would temper and that cooler heads would eventually prevail.
He fondly reminisced of a time when he, senators (R-AZ), (R-AL), and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) could be, and were, good friends, despite living on different political wavelengths. He yearned to return to those days. Graham’s reaction to Lieberman’s passing encapsulates this relationship shared well:
Just heard of my dear friend Joe Lieberman’s passing.
As I am just now leaving Israel, so many emotions. This is devastatingly sad.
I feel fortunate to have been in his presence, traveling the world in support of America’s interests as we saw it.
To Hadassah, I know your…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC)
Lieberman’s willingness to cross the aisle to do the right thing is well documented. One instance, however, particularly stands out to me. During the 2016 election, Lieberman endorsed . The senator’s law partner David Friedman, however, was an ardent supporter of . After Trump won the election, he nominated Friedman to be the United States’ Ambassador to Israel. Even though Friedman would be going to work for an administration he initially opposed, the Senator went and sat before his colleagues and testified on behalf of, and in favor of, Friedman’s nomination. Indeed, Senator (R-OH), presiding at Friedman’s hearing, specifically Friedman’s choice to bring in Lieberman due to the tremendous respect he commanded from both sides of the political aisle.
In connection with his testimony at Friedman’s hearing, Lieberman once quipped to me that Friedman should be excused from synagogue services on Yom Kippur, because sitting through a Senate confirmation hearing was painful enough. Lieberman had a sense of humor, too, one that—in addition to coming out in some moments—also came out often in the classroom.
During and after the 2000 presidential race, when Lieberman was then-Vice President ‘s running mate for the presidency, the wider American Jewish community often debated whether it would have been a good thing for American Jewry if Lieberman became vice president. One side argues that the normalization of orthodox Jewry in the political sphere, as Ben Shapiro has done it (to a certain extent) in the world of political commentary, would be a good thing—making the barrier to entry less arduous for future orthodox Jews interested in a similar career path. In the executive offices of the president, he would have been an advocate for Jewish causes, and a role model for Jewish leadership.
Others argue that his election would have been objectively bad for the Jewish community. They reason that every bad policy, proposal, or outcome, would be laid at the feet of the Jew, and that antisemites would use him as a scapegoat to breed more antisemitism. Today, when antisemitism is routine in the political discourse, it is hard to argue that this view has no validity.
Ultimately, ‘s win in 2000 foreclosed us from ever having an answer to this question. What we do know, however, is that no federally elected Jewish politician in American history would have been a better choice than Joe Lieberman. No other Jewish political figure has shown as much deference to his traditional heritage while also remaining beloved by all mainstream figures.
Despite his political success, Lieberman was deeply committed to family and faith. His accolades in the secular world notwithstanding, he still took the time to pen a about Shabbat, reminding his religious brethren of God’s greatest gift to his people, memorialized as it is in none other than the 10 commandments. His family maintains close ties to Israel, and as recently as last week the Senator appeared on to defend Israel against its detractors, during this particularly challenging time for the small Middle Eastern country:
He was admired by the people of his state and the people of his tribe alike.
I am privileged to have known him, but I wish I known him far better. Over the coming days people will share—just as I have shared above—personal, previously unshared, stories about this man, stories that will serve to inspire the rest of us to do and be better.
RIP to a great man, politician, and professor (in that order). I am privileged to have crossed paths with him. He was—and is beloved by his students. The efforts he made on our behalf, and the impact he made on our minds and careers, do not go unnoticed. I look forward to hearing more memories from those who knew him even better, and from those who knew him in different contexts.
Thank you, Senator. Baruch Dayan HaEmet.